My Polymer Clay Academy

When starting to learn to make your own polymer clay jewelry you might be wondering what equipment – tools, components and materials to prepare for a good start. Probably you don’t want to spend too much money before you know what you really need. But how to figure out what you need before you even start? That might be a bit tricky because all the shops offer huge variety of all the cool stuff which looks so good and definitely would be nice to have, I know..

In this article, I want to share with you what to prepare for a successful start, what to buy and what you definitely can find at your home. Later on you will know your favorite techniques and what you are good at so even the shopping gets easier.

How much polymer clay is good to buy at the beginning?

Buy approximately 5 to 10 packages of polymer clay, choose colors which you like and which are fitting to each other. Some suppliers also offer bargain packages that contain more colors. Definitely buy white color clay, maybe even in a bigger package. As a little helper for color combinations I use online color pallets. These might give you an idea which combinations look good in general and they are pretty inspiring too.

What tools and equipment will you need?

acrylic roller

slicer

cutters of various shapes – at the beginning you can use baking cutters

glass or a plain glossy floor tile – it is good for pressing the clay and it’s easy to clean

skewer, needles and pins – for making holes in charms and beads

interesting textured objects and textiles (e.g. lace) – you can find them all at home

glue

What beading tools and components are good to have?

basic set of beading pliers

basic ear-wires

basic ear-stud findings

basic clasps & toggles

head & eye pins

Polymer clay for beginners – few colors are enough.

Some of tools suitable for polymer clay beginners.

Some of my cutters and extruders for polymer clay jewelry making.

Earring components for beginners.

Basic beading pliers.

And the best for the last… 🙂

Do you need a special oven to bake polymer clay?

No, you can use the normal kitchen oven! Because baking has high electricity consumption, I recommend to bake a bigger batch altogether. When you finish one piece, just put it on a tray and so on until your tray is full. Preparing all the pieces might take you several days which is absolutely OK for the clay in the baking tray.